Governor Cuomo signs legislation that provides the option to enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry on New York State of Health applications

Albany, NY- The New York Alliance for Donation (NYAD) is pleased to announce that Governor Cuomo has signed A.9667-A (Gunther) / S.6952-A (Hannon) into law. Beginning in 2017, New Yorkers applying for health insurance through the New York State of Health Benefit Exchange, will have the opportunity to enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry directly on their health plan applications.

About NYAD:NYAD's mission is to increase organ and tissue donation in New York State through collaborative advocacy, education, promotion and research. NYAD's vision is to ensure every New Yorker waiting for a lifesaving transplant receives one. Our organization is comprised of the four organ procurement organizations, state licensed eye and tissue banks and/or processors, and affiliates including dedicated donation and transplantation professionals.

Facts about Organ Donation:New York is facing a public health crisis where the need for life saving and life enhancing organ and tissue donations for transplant surgeries far exceeds the supply. Today, more than 10,000 men, women and children in New York are listed on the national transplant waiting list overseen by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). New York residents make up approximately 10 percent of the patients on the waiting list. The average waiting time for someone to receive a kidney transplant in New York is approximately 5 years; the average waiting time for a life-saving liver transplant is more than two years. Every 16 hours, one New Yorker dies because of the lack of organs available for transplant; more than 500 died last year because an organ did not become available in time to save their life. An individual who makes the decision to give an anatomical gift has the power to save up to 8 lives. Thousands more can benefit from receiving a cornea or tissue transplant.

Job Summary:The State Director of Development is a new position for NYAD. The professional serving in this position will be responsible for working with the Executive Director to grow income streams and ensure NYAD's financial well-being in order to support the organization's lifesaving mission of increasing organ, eye and tissue donations. As a newly created functional area, the State Director of Development will establish a development program, create processes and procedures, and draft a comprehensive annual plan (with agreed upon financial goals) for increasing and diversifying financial resources to support NYAD's programs and services.

On behalf of the donation community, the New York Alliance for Donation (NYAD) applauds the Governor and State Legislature for taking decisive steps to achieve full implementation of Lauren's Law that will ensure New Yorkers consider enrollment in the state's organ and tissue donor registry.

In 2012, Lauren's Law, named after a young girl, Lauren Shields, whose life was saved by a heart transplant, was created with the intent to require driver license applicants to actively choose whether they would like to become a registered organ, eye and tissue donor on the New York State Donate Life Registry. However, because the statute did not invalidate an application that left the organ and tissue donation section blank, it has not resulted in as much of a change in the administrative processes at the Department of Motor Vehicles as had been hoped. The legislation Governor Cuomo signed into law yesterday would fulfill the intent of Lauren's Law and prevent any driver license, non-driver identification, or renewal, application from being processed without the organ and tissue donation section being completed—thus ensuring New Yorkers are offered the opportunity to give the gift of life.

New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) and New York Alliance for Donation (NYAD) are joining together to launch a statewide collaborative campaign, "Working Together, Working for Life," to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation. The two organizations are partnering together to take BOLD steps to help save and improve the lives of thousands of New Yorkers in dire need of transplants.

The New York Alliance for Donation would like to express it's gratitude to the Empire State Society of Association Executives (ESSAE) and its members for the generous donation of $5,035 to the New York Alliance for Donation, Inc.

Pictured, right to left: Penny Murphy, President & CEO of the Empire State Society of Association Executives, Inc. presents check to Aisha Tator, Executive Director, New York Alliance for Donation, Inc.

Public/Private Partnership Saves Lives Of New Yorkers By Creating A User Friendly and Modernized Organ, Eye and Tissue Registry

ALBANY, NY April 8, 2014- The New York Alliance for Donation (NYAD) thanks Governor Cuomo and members of the NYS Senate and Assembly for taking decisive steps to improve the performance of the New York State Donate Life Registry. The 2014-15 State Budget allows for the transfer of administration of the state donor registry to a not-for-profit organization with experience facilitating organ, eye and tissue donation.

In his State of the State message delivered in Albany yesterday afternoon, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo included promotion of organ donation as one of the top healthcare priorities for the coming year.

The overall theme of the governor’s 2014 State of the State is “Building on Success.” Under the specific topic “Building Community: Health,” Mr. Cuomo referenced the creation of a public-private partnership with the organ donation community to increase enrollment in the New York State Donate Life Registry.

“New York has one of the lowest organ/tissue consent rates in the nation,” Mr. Cuomo said. In addition, he pointed out the New York donor registry “lags the country with an enrollment rate of 22 percent, compared to 45 percent reported by other states.”

“The New York Alliance for Donation (NYAD), a statewide organization which works to increase organ, eye and tissue donation in New York State through collaborative advocacy, education, promotion, and research, applauds Governor Cuomo’s proclamation in yesterday’s State of the State that increasing organ donation is a top health care priority for the coming year," said Aisha Tator, Executive Director of the non-profit organization.

ALBANY, NY – Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) today welcomed back organ donor champion Lauren Shields and advocacy groups to Albany in their latest effort to pass a sweeping overhaul of how the organ donation process is administered in New York State. In arguing for greater control over the Donate Life Registry for organ, eye, and tissue donation, advocates insist that legislators should support current legislation that would turn over its operation and promotion of the Donate Life Registry to a not-for-profit statewide organization that has experience working in organ donation. In doing so, this would continue a nationwide trend of other states that already have made the appropriate transition in contracting out these services.

On April 16, 2013, over 60 people participated in the annual Legislative Education Day to highlight organ, eye and tissue donation in New York State. The event was sponsored by the New York Alliance for Donation (NYAD), whose mission is to increase organ, eye and tissue donation throughout New York State. The group included representatives of the State's procurement organizations, other non-profit groups interested in donation and transplantation issues, volunteers, transplant recipients, living donors, and donor families.